Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-08-13
CITY COOP GRAFTON
A DOSE OF COMPETITION FOR
CAPITAL.
Organizing a Cooperative Common
wcalth-FirI Elect Your Pub.
lie Servants Then 60 TO
Work Nil Interest.
Nw NictiS!

keIl publishes n scheme for the
emancipation of Labor that is as in
terestng rs it is instructive and
thought-provoking. Our space does
not permit its publication in full,
but we give the salient points. The
City of Denver is used to illustrate
his idea, and with the possible differ
once of Typographical and political
conditions, it may be applied to any
city or town.
Profacing his development of the
plan, Mr.. Haskell says:
"No need is there for bomb or bullet.
no need for universal ballot, no need
even for a great National Labor Party
struggling for half a century for power
to regulate the nation as a whole.
"Let but one city in this Rcpui,lic be
caYjed BY The Labor Party eiecting all it.,
officers and let bW those officers foliom ont
me pinn oWiWed bcior, and the Worh is
done. yea, done anil dome forercr, and
hrough the force Of the Monster Compc-
| Mj0H HSelf"
Then follows the cooperative
plan:
Let us suppose that here in the city
of Denver. Colorado, that at the next
election the Labor Party wins all of the
city and country officers and is fully
| placed in power. Let us suppose also
| that they LWor Whdt they want and how
to get it, This is the way they will go
| to work.
They will decide that if a franchise is
so valuable to a corporation that it can
literally bribe Legislators for it, can pay
and enormous army Of hangers-on and
yet make millions of profits, that it is
worth more to the people to keep it
themselves.
Our Boards of Aldermen and Super
visOrs will declare that there exists no
reason for the city itself not going into
business They will point ont the fact
that England owns and operates her tele-
graphs, France her railroads, Glasgow
her street cars and hundreds of cities
their water and light supply. They will
see no reason for yielding up these i'm
menqe sources of revenue to unscrupll-
lous private parties and corporations and
permitting them in the future to I'M
gratefully rob and plumber the people
from whom they first derived their
rights.
Onr governing boards will in brief de-
| nil llt
wealthy men-not by rope or repressive
laws, not by coniiscation but by cOiaje.
ton. The terrible force that they have
used to grind us down to poverty, we in
OUR turn will now use to forever secure
our own.
Our boards of Supervisors and Alder.
men will decide to do at first these
things:
Co0 TO supply water to the farm and
city by city cooperative effort.
(b) To supply bread to the whole peo-
pie at practical cost.
(c) TO supply transit for the people fol
the profit of the community
0O To provide lighting for public and
private convenience.
(c) TO provide public baths and laun
dries.
They will inaugllrate these five classe.
of public work at first because of the ne
cessities of interchangeablity between
them, and next because no enormous
amount of capital will be necessary tc
give them good beginning.
The authorities will &c up here in the
mountains about twenty miles and turn
the headwaters of the Platte River into
an immense city ditch. They will pu
1000 men at work at this and keep then
at work until the water is brought To on
doors as well AS to the field of every
farmer on the way. When the wate
arrives ut Denver the men will be set tC
work building magnificent swimming
baths and an enormous laundry wherein
perfected washing machinery can b'
placed.
How will these men he paid and how
will the capital to begin on he raised
you ask. BE patient; all that shall b'
spoken Of soon.
At the same time on the banks of til,
acqueduct the city will erect elevator
ami Touring mills with bakeries attache,
and as an adjunct will organize an etfec
tive carrier delivery force.
Simultaneously the city will begin thu
construction of street car lines on tin
principal streets, and upon the aqueduc
will also locate plant containing dyna
mos powerful enough to light the who'll
city.
: These enterprises would give immedi
ate employment to over j, 900 men; aver
age their wages at 81 per day and her
: would be monthly necessary expendi
ture of 5000 600 This would mean, yol
exclaim. a per capita taxation of s
monthly on the whole population o
Denver and besides this you must cap
taIlze to the extent of at least S2o, COG. 000